Man's Fate Turned On Gun That Jammed

New Britain News Notes

A jammed gun saved Michael Jenkins from injury or death last Thursday when a man began firing a semiautomatic pistol at him in the rear of Tremont Street home, court records state.

In the arrest warrant for suspected gunman Charles Cook, 20, of Hartford, police said, ``If the gun did not jam, Michael Jenkins would have been murdered by Charles Cook.''

Cook, described by Hartford police as a member of the 20-Love drug gang, allegedly fired five to eight rounds at Jenkins last Thursday afternoon before the weapon jammed, records state.

Jenkins told police he vaulted a fence and ran into the street when he saw the weapon so there would be witnesses if he were shot dead. Police found a trail of five spent 9mm bullets and three live rounds at the shooting scene.

Cook was arrested in Windsor on Tuesday and faces a variety of charges, including attempted murder. On Wednesday, Cook's bond was reduced from $500,000 to $350,000. He is due back in court next month.

Court records indicate that Cook shot at Jenkins because he believed Jenkins had something to do with the killing of Cook's best friend, Omar Honore. Honore was found shot dead in Berlin on Sept. 15.

Police are still seeking Honore's killer.

Jenkins was arrested last Friday on an unrelated charge of violation of probation. Jenkins, on parole after a larceny conviction last year, is accused of violating probation by trying to sell crack cocaine and also by failing to make child support payments.